1. Field of the Invention
The subject invention relates to a strip lighting housing and fixture assembly for mounting strip lighting elements and associated electronics to a supporting surface. In particular, the present invention directs itself to first and second housing sections which may be manufactured and shipped separate from one another and releasably secured to one another to form the full strip lighting housing assembly. More particularly, this invention directs itself to a strip lighting housing and fixture assembly including a releasable connecting member for releasably locking the first and second housing sections to one another.
Further, the strip lighting housing and fixture assembly includes first and second bracket members which are respectively received within the first and second housing sections for releasable attachment to first and second cover members. The first and second housing sections, connecting member, first and second bracket members, and the first and second cover members are all releasably coupled to one another in order to form a strip lighting housing and fixture assembly which is collapsible, portable, and may be easily assembled and manufactured.
2. Prior Art
Strip lighting housings are well-known in the art. In general, such prior art strip lighting housings include a main housing section along with fixtures for securing the main housing section to a support surface. In many instances, the problems of such prior art strip lighting housings are that the housing assemblies are unwieldy, excessively bulky and are difficult to both manufacture and ship. It is a purpose of the subject invention to provide a combination of elements making up a strip lighting housing and fixture assembly including first and second housing sections which may be releasably secured to one another in order to form a main strip lighting housing which may be manufactured, shipped, and assembled with ease.
One such prior art lighting fixture is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,673,402. This reference is directed to an extendable lighting fixture. The extendable lighting fixture includes a nested pair of housing sections, with one housing section being smaller than the other, with the smaller housing section telescoping from the larger. Each housing section, however, due to the difference in sizes, must be manufactured separate from one another and further, the two housing sections require a complex telescoping fixture system to secure one to the other.
Another such prior art lighting fixture is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 2,588,144. This reference is directed to a jointed fluorescent lamp fixture. This system includes a hinged cover assembly for the lighting fixture, however, the system is not formed from separate releasably locking housing sections.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,465,141 is directed to a lighting fixture for tubular lamps. This system provides for modular, interlocking lighting housings. However, each housing is designed to be of standard strip-lighting length and thus, suffers from the common problems involved in the manufacture and assembly of typical bulky lighting housings.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,431,726 is directed to a folding and adjusting side-sliding fluorescent lamp fixture. This reference includes a pair of lighting housings pivotally secured to one another and fixed side-to-side. Each lighting housing, however, is of standard size and with the side-to-side arrangement, the two housings do not form one continuous strip lighting housing.
Another prior art strip lighting housing is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,624,178. This system includes a telescoping frame for accommodation with a multitude of different types of lamp holders. The system, however, is not collapsible and involves a complex telescoping interconnection between the housing frame elements.
None of the prior art provides for a combination of elements forming a strip lighting housing and fixture assembly including first and second housing sections which are releasably engageable in order to form a main lighting housing assembly. The prior art Patents provide for lighting housing systems which are excessively bulky and involve complex interconnections of elements not lending themselves to ease of manufacture, shipping, assembly, and selective disassembly.